Sanju laughs, "I think being bad is cool only on screen! Kancha was evil, but Mahadev is not evil. He is cool.

" He adds, "My character Mahadev Bhosale heads a special department within the police. He knows he has been hired to clean out corruption from the city, but understands that once his job is done, he'll be thrown out.

So he wants to make the most of it till he lasts in the Department. Rana's (Daggubati) character stands in my way, so there is conflict between the two characters.

Rana is a very good actor, very focused. He is a wonderful kid to work with.

We shared some great moments together - moments of disagreements on-screen and moments of bonding off-screen." About his other co-star, Amitabh Bachchan , he says, "Sir (Bachchan) plays a politican.

I'm in awe of him. I am lucky that I have been in so many films with him.

The way he gets into his character and performs, and the way he makes everyone so comfortable on the sets is amazing. I did the song Kammo with him and he made me feel so much at ease.

" Sanju is excited about the action he has done in the film, "I loved doing so much hard-core action after years. Especially the climax sequence in which Rana and I engage in hand-to-hand combat, and a lot of very tough action scenes on wires, and the Yerawada Jail scene.

I was known as an action hero, so it felt good to come back as one again." He also admits he has mouthed some Mumbai-style gaalis in the film.

"Bhonsale cusses a lot," Sanju grins, "He has a tough attitude and dominates his way through every situation. One of my favorite dialogues is, 'duniya mein log acche ya bure nahi hote - sirf samajhdar ya ch**** hote hain!' Another one that people will remember is, 'woh bahar aake hamein thokte hain, hum andar jaake unko thokenge!' Mahadev's attitude speaks for itself and he operates in his own style.

Department is a hard-hitting, realistic, raw, gritty action-drama - something I haven't done before!" Asked about the favourite cop characters played by him, he says, " Thanedaar and Kurukshetra. " And in Hollywood ? " Heat with Robert De Niro , Al Pacino and Van Kilmer.

It's the ultimate in cops-and-robbers." Directed by Ram Gopal Varma and Produced by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and Uberoi Line Productions, Department hits theatres today (less)